Interview with a Cinematographer: How did you start out in show biz? “…I took any job in the film industry that I could. Believe it or not, I started in make-up, then special effects, editing… the list goes on. Film is a collaborative art and everyone
Genevieve interviews a cinematographer.
“Who: Cinematographer Dean Cundey, a UCLA graduate who has worked on such films as “Back to the Future,” described his job: “I help bring the director’s vision to film.” He said his salary varies from $3,000-$6,000/week for episodic television to as much as $15,000/week for movies and commercials. He was interviewed as he worked on his current project, “Krippendorf’s Tribe” with Richard Dreyfuss.
Did you always want to be a cinematographer?
I had originally planned to be a production designer in high school. It was not until UCLA that I wanted to be in cinematography. I had this professor, I would say that inspired me. James Wong Howe, a famous cinematographer in the ’30s and ’40s, taught at UCLA for one semester and I took him and I was just so fascinated by him and his work that I decided to be a cinematographer instead.
How did education prepare you for your career? The one great thing about film is that it deals with so much. I didn’t take anything—history, architecture, music—that I didn’t use.
Can you go far without a college education? Yes and no. It really helps you to be good. You become better after it.
How did you start out in show biz?
I graduated in 1968 and by that time, I took any job in the film industry that I could. Believe it or not, I started in make-up, then special effects, editing… the list goes on. Film is a collaborative art and everyone has to come together to get the job done.
Big break: “Halloween.” Before that I had done a bunch of low budgets and when this movie came along, it gave me recognition, credibility. I was kept out of the union until I had done “Escape to New York.”
Most memorable: Everything, but I would have to say that “Back to the Future” I was the best thing that happened. I look at it as a successful movie because it was strong visually, technically and enjoyable.
Bad experiences: I always feel that everything builds up to something… techniques, even bad experiences help you to overcome new situations.
What do you do in your spare time, film-making wise? I do a lot of volunteer work. I’ve done public service announcements, lectured at seminars, helped out with student films.
What is next for you? I am interested in direction. I directed “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves.” I’m reading scripts now.
Advice for teens who aspire to be cinematographers: Practice photography even with just a regular camera, experiment with videocameras, take any job in the industry. You can begin with student films and who knows?
Anthony Wong, who never completed high school or college, has worked closely with Cundey as a television and movie lighting technician. He has helped set up lighting for such movies as “Apollo 13,” “The Flintstones,” “Jurassic Park,” “Back to the Future” (I, II, III), and “Death Becomes Her.” He has even served as an extra occasionally. He appeared in “Back to the Future III” and as the villain’s door man in “Big Trouble in Little China.”
The average yearly salary for a lighting technician is $40,000-$70,000, Wong said. After he reaches 65, he will receive a pension of $1,200/month not including health insurance and dental insurance.
Wong broke into the entertainment biz first by working full time at Paramount Pictures in the mail room, then transferred to payroll dept., and ultimately into the lighting dept. “I was very lucky to be transferred to lighting; that’s where I got my big break. I wasn’t really skilled so I had to pick up things fast and learn from on the job training. It’s all about timing also. Back then, the fact that I entered the union, that’s good timing. Nowadays, it’s so hard for anybody to enter the union, that I look back and realize how lucky I was.”
His job may sound glamourous, but it involves a lot of hours. He once worked 27 1/2 hours straight on a movie. “Lots of people in the business rarely see their families because of the long hours. All the people in the crew work really hard. We come here to make a living!””